The medical name for this condition is lateral epicondylitis. The rest of us call it Tennis Elbow.
Based on the name, you may think that tennis elbow is from playing tennis, but only a small proportion of people actually get it from playing tennis.
You can get tennis elbow - a common injury in many adults that causes pain in the area focused on the outside of the arm where your forearm meets your elbow.
It’s related to a muscle and various tendons in your forearm right below your elbow. Tendons connect your muscles to your bones. When you constantly use your arm in a repetitive motion, the tendons at the elbow end, may develop small tears or rips.
The small tears or rips lead to the area becoming inflamed making it painful to life or grip things and sometimes it hurts even to sleep, bend or straighten your arm.
People can get this injury while doing a variety of sports or perhaps from strenuous recreational hobbies such as gardening or digging where repetitive actions take place. You can also get tennis elbow from a repetitive job such as lifting or something similar or playing musical instruments.
Whatever the cause, tennis elbow is a common injury that will usually heal with minor treatment, but you have to give it time and rest.
Golfer’s elbow is a little different. The pain is focused on the inside of the elbow. But the causes are similar: tendon tears caused by repetitive movement, whether it’s a golf swing, lifting heavy objects like weights or simply shaking hands.
We do have products in store that can help alleviate the pain and discomfort caused by this condition, while you seek professional help.
Whatever the injury, we do encourage you to seek medical advice and/or see a physiotherapist or hand therapist to confirm diagnosis.
Here are some helpful resources:
https://www.nzaht.org.nz/find-therapist
http://physiotherapy.org.nz/about-physiotherapy/find-a-physio/
